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In America, we’re accustomed to certain amenities in a campground. Space to lay out a tent, a spot to park our car, a pre-established fire pit. If we’re feeling fancy, we’ll ensure there’s an outhouse nearby. A step up from that might also offer a wooden picnic table in our site and perhaps – gasp! – real plumbing-connected toilets. Now, that’s almost no longer camping at that point.

But what about showers? Rarely. A community kitchen? Haha, no. Wifi? Are you serious?

We were quite surprised to find out what was considered standard in Norwegian camping.

The Drive

Driving in Norway was easier than we thought it would be. The road signs were easy to follow and many times we had the road all to ourselves. Doing a car camping road trip through the country was very peaceful compared to anything we’ve ever done in the U.S. or in Costa Rica. It was hard to believe we drove over 2,000 km, but some of the best views were right off the road. Why do a 20 km hike for one view, when you can drive for a thousand? Here were some of our best views.

When visiting someplace new, first impressions can make a big difference. A single day can determine if we want to return, what we think of the people, and how much we’ll talk about it when we return. The first few hours can set the mood for the entire trip.

This world is a big place (although smaller than you think). The number of countries to explore seems very overwhelming at times. We at least want to find our starting point and go from there. But how do we make that choice? Should we throw a dart at a map and see where it lands? Here is how we decided on the first spot. Photo by TomjonescoaleyCreative Commons

Last Day in San Francisco

We had finally reached our ominous last day in San Francisco. Without any firm plans, the city was there for us to explore. We even witnessed something shocking and unexpected. Can you guess what that could be?

Day 5 brought us to prison, even though we never wanted to end up there. Who knew that going to prison would be so fun! From the staged prison cells, to the one phone call, we got to get a glimpse of what hardened criminals experienced during their time at Alcatraz. What was life like on the rock? More importantly, how did we escape?

Day 4 finally saw our arrival in the famed San Francisco. Would it live up to our expectations? Was it worth getting drenched and feeling small along the way? Would we try broccoli on pizza? Would I achieve my lifelong dream of photographing the Golden Gate Bridge?

So much lay before us in this grand new city; the adventure had just begun!

We just arrived back from Norway a few days ago and were completely stunned by how beautiful it was. Our route included many fjords, glaciers, snowy lakes, and other breath-taking scenery that seemed to be non-stop. Every time we were wowed, there was something even more beautiful around the corner. During our last day we saw a glacier that emotionally impacted us in a way that no pictures or words could describe.

We started to get worried that we would be disappointed going to other countries or even back home in Oregon wondering what could top this. However, there is so much world out there to see that we are up for the challenge. Since there is a lot of material to go through, and we are dead tired from the trip, here are just a couple of the highlights (the highlights never stopped, nor the high jumps).